Trump appointee resigns after CNN posts old remarks

A government official appointed by President Donald Trump resigned Thursday after CNN published comments he made on a radio show he formerly hosted.

Carl Higbie resigned from his post as chief of external affairs at the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal government’s volunteer service organization that runs groups including AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and the Social Innovation Fund, the New York Post reported.

“Effective immediately, Carl Higbie has resigned as Chief of External Affairs at CNCS,” Samantha Jo Warfield, a spokesperson for CNCS, said in a statement.

CNN KFile, the network’s investigative reporting team, posted excerpts from comments made by Higbie in 2013 and 2014 during his internet talk radio show “Sound of Freedom” in which he expresses his dislike of Muslims, black people and homosexuality.

“I just don’t like Muslim people. People always rip me a new one for that. ‘Carl, you’re racist, you can‘t, you’re sexist.’ I’m like, Jesus Christ, I just don’t like Muslim people because their ideology sucks,” Higbie said in one excerpt, describing Islam as “the ideology of a child molester.”

In a Friday tweet, Higbie apologized for his remarks, insisting that they are not representative of who he is or what he stands for.

“I’m sorry. I’m not sorry that my words were published, I am sorry that I said them in 2013. Those words do not reflect who I am or what I stand for, I regret saying them. Last night I informed the WH that I was resigning so as not to distract from POTUS’ many success,” Higbie tweeted.

Higbie is a former Navy SEAL who served two tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, reaching the rate of Special Warfare Operator, First Class.

I’m sorry. I’m not sorry that my words were published, I am sorry that I said them in 2013. Those words do not reflect who I am or what I stand for, I regret saying them. Last night I informed the WH that I was resigning so as not to distract from POTUS’ many success. #noexcuses